Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 82

82

The semi-final match was against the Wind Force team. They were a Gladiator team that had been active in the Avon Area League until two years prior, but due to financial difficulties, they had released many Gladiators, making them a less formidable opponent. Furthermore, Julian didn’t attempt any underhanded tactics this time, so they were able to win without undue pressure. Although the silence from the Hyena Group was a bit unsettling, Bum-seok celebrated with the Gods Knights team that day, cheering and congratulating each other, because this victory secured their advancement to the Avon Area League.

The next day, he sold all 460,000 shares of his Micro Engineering company at 519 krang [currency] per share. Although it seemed like they could potentially increase further as the economic conditions improved, he needed to raise funds immediately to meet the requirements for professional advancement. The evaluation team from the Professional Gladiator Association would be visiting two weeks after the end of the finals, and if he didn’t meet all the requirements by then, the advancement rights themselves would be forfeited.

Having raised the funds, Bum-seok first paid off the 80 million krang debt incurred from building the training camp and the 1 million krang in unpaid fees from signing Reymei. He simply couldn’t stand being in debt.

“Now it’s all complete.”

Late in the evening, after finishing all the outdoor training, he took his subordinate Elves and Emma to the office building on one side of the training camp. The construction site had been quiet all day, and he had been wondering if something was amiss, but a little while ago, James had contacted him to say that all the construction was finished.

He stood in front of the door, filled with anticipation for his new headquarters.

Sreureureu.

The automatic door opened silently. As he stepped inside, the strong smell of paint filled the air, and the LED lights that turned on automatically brightly illuminated the hallway.

“Not bad.”

The first place he went was the hallway on the first floor, which stretched to the left and right. It was wide enough for four or five people to pass at once, and the medical room, archives, and audiovisual room were all lined up.

Bum-seok, riding the escalator that automatically operated with a pressure sensor, went up to the second floor and admired the spacious conference room and offices before going up to the third floor again. After inspecting the director’s office, which would be his own, he added a word of concern.

“Somehow, it’s going to cost a lot of money to buy office furniture and equipment. And I have to redo the interior too.”

Since it was a newly built building, it was naturally unfurnished. Filling this place would cost a considerable sum, and he felt a bit overwhelmed. Simply furnishing a house and furnishing an entire three-story office building were vastly different undertakings.

He went back outside and headed to the three-story dormitory building.

“Oh dear. Oh dear.”

The dormitory building was no different from the office building. Except for the bathrooms with showers, nothing was equipped. He anticipated that it would cost a lot of money to arrange beds, microwaves, TVs, refrigerators, and so on.

Fortunately, all the team members were Elves serving their master, so they preferred to commute. In that case, there was no reason to decorate the third floor, except for the bedrooms where he and his subordinate Elves would stay.

He looked at Emma, who had followed him, and asked,

“Emma, what are you going to do? Are you going to commute, or are you going to stay here?”

Emma looked around the room with interest. She wouldn’t feel uncomfortable living alone in a room of 25 square meters [approximately 270 square feet], and she could save on the monthly rent of her current studio apartment. Moreover, she could use the training facilities whenever she wanted, and she could expect rapid growth by receiving swordsmanship training from Bum-seok and his subordinate Elves.

“Would it be okay for me to stay here?”

“Of course. It’s a building that’s already built, so we should use it as much as possible. What do you think?”

However, one thing concerned her. The entire third floor was to be used by Bum-seok and his Elves, so she would be living alone in the dormitory on the second or first floor. It seemed a little scary.

“Well, it’s just that I’m a little scared to be alone…….”

“It doesn’t matter. Susan and some of the office staff will be staying, so it won’t be too lonely.”

“Really? Then I’ll stay here.”

Bum-seok scanned her and smiled. In fact, it had been almost a year since he met Emma. If she were an ordinary woman, it would have been enough time to sleep with her, but she was so focused on training and her home life that there was no time to get close. But now that they would be living in the same building, he could quickly build rapport, making it easier to win her over.

“Great. Then let’s get along well together.”

“Yes.”

Bum-seok, who had successfully enticed one woman, thought of another: Susan. Although nothing had been confirmed, she seemed to want to use the dormitory as well.

‘First of all, it seems like Susan will come too. Oh, right, she said she would introduce me to an office worker. I’m short-handed, so I should ask her to send her quickly.’

He hurriedly took out his electronic notepad. Originally, Susan was supposed to contact him first, but he couldn’t afford to be picky since the situation was urgent. He had to buy a lot of equipment and prepare documents for it, but he couldn’t find the time. He had to prepare for the promotion, and the promotion tournament finals were just around the corner, so he had to focus on training.

Bum-seok stared intently at the electronic notepad, waiting for the screen to light up.

– Hello. Oh, is that Bum-seok?

Susan on the screen had wet hair. It seemed like she had just finished showering. He felt a strange urge, but since he couldn’t do anything over the phone, he calmed himself down and started talking.

“Yes. How have you been?”

– Yes. Thanks to you. First of all, congratulations on the promotion. I saw it on TV, and it seemed pretty amazing.

“It’s nothing. I was just lucky.”

– No, it wasn’t. How can you say you were just lucky when you defeated a World League candidate and a reserve Gladiator at once?

It seemed like she was talking about the scene where he defeated Jeremia and Loria simultaneously in the first round.

“Hahaha. No. I was just aware of the weaknesses of the Gladiator named Loria at that time. It would never happen at any other time.”

– Hohoho. That’s all skill. But what did you call about? Is it because of the team doctor? If that’s the case, don’t worry. I’ll definitely join the Gods Knights team as I said before.

“Is that so? That’s good news. Please come by all means. And by the way, what about the office worker you mentioned before?”

– Ah. You mean Esther. She begged me to let her have an interview, so if you want her, you can hire her. It turns out she’s a big Gladiator fan and she likes you a lot, Bum-seok. She said she fell in love with you after seeing you perform at the GA Cup [Gladiator Association Cup] last year.”

That wasn’t bad. If she was a fan of Gods Knights and himself, there was less chance of her defecting, so he could entrust her with work with peace of mind. With the recent conflict with the Hyena Group, it was better to hire someone he could trust.

“Really? That’s great. Then can I ask if she can come for an interview tomorrow?”

– Tomorrow? Well, if she doesn’t have any special plans, she’ll probably be able to. She’s been resting because she hasn’t been able to find a job.

“Then please tell her to come. I’m in a hurry. I have to handle a lot of office work, but I don’t have anyone suitable.”

– Oh, really? Okay. Then I’ll contact her right away.

“Yes. Thank you. Please take care of it.”

Relieved, Bum-seok exchanged some farewell greetings and hung up the phone. Then, he left the dormitory, roughly inspected the indoor training center for the last time, and returned home with his subordinate Elves.

Early the next morning, Bum-seok, who had returned to the training camp, found a woman sitting demurely on a bench on one side of the training ground. She was wearing a neat women’s suit, and her long blonde hair that reached her waist was quite striking. It wasn’t common for people to come to the training camp, so he thought she might be Esther, whom Susan was supposed to introduce, and approached her.

“Excuse me. Are you Miss Esther?”

She recognized Bum-seok right away and stood up from her seat, bowing slightly.

“Hello, Director. I’m Esther.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Oh Bum-seok.”

“Yes. I know you well from seeing you on TV. I’ve seen you at the stadium a few times too.”

“Oh, really?”

He carefully examined Esther’s appearance.

Excluding the high heels she was wearing, was she about 160 centimeters tall [approximately 5’3″]? Her figure was quite slender, as he had heard, and even though she was wearing a tight blouse, her chest didn’t seem very voluminous. Her face was an oval-shaped beauty, and her lips looked very red, perhaps because of makeup. Her eyes were so blue that you could mistake them for calm waves, and her skin was very fair and beautiful.

‘Just like Susan said. She’s really pretty. If I hold her, she’ll be quite… pleasant.’

He gave her a passing grade in appearance and immediately opened the information window. It was a meaningless act since he had already decided to hire her, but it would be helpful for personnel management to know what kind of work she was specialized in.

————————————————-

Name: Esther Brunett.

Classification: Human (20 years old).

Affiliation: None.

Fame: 31.

Notoriety: 0.

Favorability: 72.

H Status: None.

Stamina: 580/600.

Sociability: 81, Strength: 5, Stamina: 6.

Agility: 13, Sense of Balance: 7, Intelligence: 82.

Mental Strength: 66. Judgment: 80, Skill: 74.

Luck: 68.

Current Skill/Potential: 482/593.

————————————————

Trait: Genius of Negotiation.

Special Notes: Was a staff member in the administration department of the Mikhail Treatment Center. Currently looking for a job.

————————————————

‘Oh. Amazing. How can a kid like this be working in the administration department of a hospital?’

Except for mental strength, which was necessary for an office worker, her sociability, intelligence, and judgment exceeded 80, and when considering that the potential of ordinary humans who were not modified humans was limited to 680, the 593 she possessed was quite high.

Moreover, the trait of Genius of Negotiation was really amazing. Although it was limited to a single transaction and only once, it had an amazing option that could lead to a 5% price increase or decrease when activated. If she were to recruit a Gladiator worth 10 million krang, she could buy him for 9.5 million krang just by using her trait once.

It was expected that if she were placed in charge of the team or a specific purchasing manager, she could save a lot of team funds.

‘And her favorability is 72… That’s quite high, even though she’s a fan. If this is the case with other female fans, I might be able to expand my fan club harem in the future. Hehehe.’

With this level of favorability, it was difficult, but depending on the atmosphere and circumstances, it was a figure that could potentially lead to intimacy. If other female fans were the same, he could greatly expand his… romantic opportunities if he played his cards right.

“Excuse me, Director? Are you okay?”

Bum-seok, startled by her question, closed the information window and scratched his head.

“Sorry. I was surprised that you came so early in the morning.”

“Oh, really? Then did I do something wrong? Susan told me to go as early as possible because it was urgent… I’m, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that. I like that you’re so diligent. And you’re pretty, just like Susan said.”

Esther, whose face was flushed red, lowered her head slightly. It was the first time she had heard such words from a man in her life, so she didn’t know how to react. And he was a Gladiator she was enthusiastically supporting, so it was incredibly exciting.

“Th, that’s…”

Bum-seok, seeing her fidgeting so cutely, said directly. He couldn’t just flirt like this all day.

“Okay. Then shall we have an interview now?”

Esther looked at the training stadium and wilderness that were wide open and asked.

“Are we having it here?”

“Yeah. Originally, we should have it in a decent office, but since there’s nothing in it right now, you’d have to sit on newspapers. So I’m trying to hire you urgently because I need someone to buy and supervise the installation of the interior and various OA [Office Automation] furniture and equipment to be placed in the dormitory.”

“Oh. I see. Then what’s the interview about?”

“Well? Do we even need to have an interview? To be honest, I really like you. And I don’t have time to waste. What do you think?”

Her face brightened up like the sunshine on a clear day. Susan had mentioned that there was a high possibility of being hired, so she was somewhat expecting it, but she didn’t know it would be this easy. In this world where Elves existed, it was not easy for women to get a good job.

“Re, really? Then are you hiring me?”

“Yeah. I have no reason to be talking nonsense this morning. Then let’s get down to the issue of salary and benefits. How much do you want to receive?”

Esther wriggled her fingers and began to worry. It would be nice to receive as much as possible, but it would be really disappointing if this caused the hiring to fall through. She had been struggling to pay the monthly rent due to her unemployment, and she didn’t have any savings to rely on.

She eventually mentioned the details of the salary she had received at the Mikhail Treatment Center and mumbled.

“I, I used to receive 150,000 krang as an annual salary. I’d be satisfied with that.”

150,000 krang was about the average annual salary for a female rookie office worker. It was just a so-so amount that didn’t leave much after living in a studio apartment on the outskirts of the city, paying rent, and covering living expenses.

It was an opportunity to hire a good talent very cheaply, but Bum-seok’s thoughts were different. Frankly, if he only had her, he could save millions of krang in team funds every year, but if he treated her poorly and other teams or companies headhunted her, he would have to bear a huge loss. Moreover, her stats were quite good, so if she gained some work experience, she could fully demonstrate the ability of a director. It was better to treat her well in order to increase her loyalty.

“An annual salary of 300,000 krang, with food and accommodation provided. How about it?”

Esther’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe it. It was twice the salary she had suggested, and she was provided with food and accommodation. It was a condition she had never dreamed of.

“Re, really? Are you really giving me 300,000 krang? Surely I didn’t hear you wrong?”

“You didn’t hear me wrong. That’s right. But you can’t just submit your resignation carelessly. Got it?”

That was exactly what Esther wanted to hear. She had no intention of quitting such a well-paying job.

“Yes. Of course. And I’ll work hard in the future.”

“Hehe. Good.”

Bum-seok, who had successfully recruited Esther, immediately gave her work instructions. This included not only decorating the office and dormitory, but also purchasing equipment necessary for promotion, such as training equipment and medical equipment. And he also asked her to recruit office staff to lead in the future. In order to meet the promotion requirements of a professional team, at least six office personnel were needed, and Bum-seok intended to fill all of these positions with attractive women.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Hew~ It’s hot. I hope autumn comes soon. My body is drooping, so my condition is not good. It seems like autumn will be hotter than summer this year. Hehehe.

Then everyone, be careful of the heat. I’ll see you again tomorrow.